Andy Murray announces impending retirement from tennis – live!

Here’s Holly Lane with a lovely tribute:

I’m absolutely devastated by this announcement, because it’s clear he has so much more to give, but his hip just won’t let him. I think we all hoped he would make this amazing comeback against all the odds, just because he’s Andy Murray, the consummate fighter.

Like so many Brits, I’ve been watching him for years, and Wimbledon ‘13 was breathtaking, especially after his emotional final the year earlier. But really the highlights for me are all the little times he shows what a gent he is, both on and off court.

His respect for his fellow competitors, how he mentors younger players, and the way he shuts down anyone who implies that female players aren’t deserving of the same respect (and pay) as the men. Sir Andy will be sorely missed.

Murray had plenty of highs to go with the lows – and it was the failures along the way as he battled into the ‘big four’, as much as his later successes, that endeared him to the British public. Today’s announcement feels strange because we’re so used to seeing Murray get back up when he’s knocked down.

Quick guide

But where there were ups, there were downs

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2008: first grand slam final

Few had expected Murray to beat Nadal in the semi-finals in New York but he did, raising hopes he could somehow produce the same result against Federer in the final. Despite some flashes of resistance, he lost to the dominant Swiss in straight sets.

2010-16: Australian Open

Five times Murray reached the final of the year’s first major and five times he lost: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. No one has lost that many times in a slam final without ever winning it at some stage. The closest he came was defeat in four sets in 2013 and 2015, both to  Djokovic.

2013: back surgery

A stellar year ended on something of a low note. He already had hip problems and he had withdrawn from the French Open in May so he finally took the decision to try and sort out the issues in time for the next season in order to defend his hard-won Wimbledon title.

2016: French Open pain

Eleven years into his professional career he broke new ground at Roland Garros. For so long he had failed to produce performances that matched his world ranking but then he reached the final in Paris. His old nemesis, Djokovic, was there, lying in wait again.

2019: calling it a day

Given his condition at Wimbledon in 2017, where he limped and lost to Sam Querrey in the quarters, it was clear something had to be done. Hip surgery wasn’t a surprise in early 2018, but the location – Melbourne – was and slow recovery meant he only played the US Open.

Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Murray is known off-court for never being short of a quote or two; you can be sure the punditry offers will be pouring in once he finally bids farewell to tennis. Here are some of his most memorable lines:

“I don’t play in any tournaments to come second best.”

“We Scots have a fierce pride in the things we do that others can never appreciate. I am the British No 1, but I would prefer to be the British No 1 from Scotland every time.”

“When I was serving for the title [at the 2012 US Open], there was a sense of how big a moment that is in British tennis history. It’s great to have finally done it.”

“People think I am unemotional because my voice is flat and a bit boring. It is unfortunate but it is just the way it is. The truth is, I have lots of emotions inside.”

After winning his first Wimbledon title: “I worked so hard in that last game. It’s the hardest few points I’ve had to play in my life. My head was kind of everywhere. That last game will be the toughest game I’ll play in my career, ever.”

“Contrary to my image, I do have a sense of humour.”

It wasn’t so long ago that Murray was on top of the world – finally shaking his long-time rival, Novak Djokovic, from the summit of the world rankings after a stellar 2016. Both men pushed their bodies to the limit that season and have suffered since – but while Djokovic has returned to the pinnacle of the game, Murray has been unable to do the same.

Here’s Kevin Mitchell with a nice piece from that era, which reminds us why Murray is so loved at home and around the world:

Murray’s career in numbers: Courtesy of PA, here are some standout figures from Murray’s time in tennis:

No 1 Murray became the first British singles player ever to officially be ranked world number one on November 7, 2016.
41 The number of weeks Murray spent on top of the rankings.
Three grand slam titles
11 grand slam finals
45 career singles titles
Two doubles titles – both with his brother, Jamie
Nine singles titles in 2016, including five in a row to end the season as world number one
Two Olympic singles gold medals
11 Murray won every rubber he contested to drive Great Britain to Davis Cup glory in 2015
663 Tour-level matches won
$61,055,135 total career prize money
Three BBC Sports Personality of the Year titles
5,573 aces served
29 combined wins against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

Andy Roddick, the three-time Wimbledon finalist, is one of the first tennis greats to pay tribute to Murray, calling him one of the game’s “best tacticians in history”:

Murray will retire with three grand slams, two Olympic golds and a total of 45 ATP career titles. Perhaps more than anything else, he’ll be remembered for doing what for so long had seemed impossible – ending Britain’s long wait for a men’s Wimbledon singles champion. Here’s Kevin Mitchell’s report from that glorious day back in 2013:

Get in touch

We’ve listed some of Murray’s finest moments below – but please get in touch with your own personal favourites via via email, or tweet me – @niallmcveigh.

Quick guide

Key moments that shaped a glittering career

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2006: Wins first ATP Tour title

Murray begins the year splitting from his coach Mark Petchey and replacing Tim Henman as British No 1 and goes on to claim more early-career landmarks: he beats Roger Federer for the first time, in Ohio, and wins his first ATP Tour event in San Jose, California, in front of Kim Sears, later Mrs Murray.

2012: Olympic gold and first slam

Murray produces a straight-sets demolition of Roger Federer in the Olympic final at Wimbledon. He then goes on to win his first major, beating Novak Djokovic in New York in a five-set epic, finishing close to midnight, becoming the first British man since Fred Perry in the 1930s to win a singles slam title.

2013: Ends wait for British men’s singles champion at Wimbledon

Murray had raised hopes of emulating Perry at Wimbledon when he reached the final in 2012, only to come up against Roger Federer and a closed roof, which benefited the Swiss. A year later, however, on a boiling hot day at SW19, he faced down Novak Djokovic for the second time in three slam finals and won again, in straight sets, although he said he could hardly serve in the final game. He ended the 77-year wait for a British men’s singles champion, against the man considered the
best in the world at the time.

2016: Grand slam No 3

The defence of his Wimbledon title in 2014 had not gone as planned, but two years later he showed he was back to his best. Against Milos Raonic in the final in SW19, he nullified the Canadian’s huge serve and cantered to victory in straight sets, leaving him one shy of Perry’s total of three Wimbledon wins.

2016: A slice of Olympic history

Murray had won gold in the 2012 Games on familiar turf but Rio de Janeiro presented different challenges, yet he overcame those to make Olympic history. He beat Juan Martín del Potro in five sets in the final and became the first man or woman to win consecutive singles tennis golds.

Murray’s total career prize money from his singles and doubles successes combined

His total career singles titles, with an overall  match win-loss ratio of 663-190 (77.73%)

Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

Here’s what Murray had to say at that dramatic press conference, having initially broken down when asked about his hip pain:

“I’m not feeling good. I’ve been struggling for a long time. Been in a lot of pain for 20 months now. Pretty much done everything I could to make my hip feel better.

“Wimbledon is where I would like to stop playing but I’m not certain I’ll be able to do that. I’m not certain I can play through the pain for another four or five months.”

Andy Murray has shocked the tennis world by announcing that the upcoming Australian Open may be his final tournament. The former world No 1 has said he wants to bow out at Wimbledon this summer, but may not be able to continue beyond Melbourne. Here’s Kevin Mitchell’s report: